Fight Beside Me
by iluvephramy
Summary: Tempers flare as Neptune High reacts to Veronica and Logan's relationship. But then, things were never going to be easy with these two! Fight! Love! Angst! #ArrogantLogan #VulnerableVeronica


**A/N: So I recently got massively addicted to Veronica Mars, and absolutely fell in love with Veronica/Logan! Hence this fic! Takes an alternative look at the 09ers reaction to their romance after the surprise 'birthday' party! This story was written whilst obsessively listening to Luke Conrad's cover of Taylor Swift's song 'Safe and Sound' (he's awesome!)! The story image belongs to Jennifer/watching_ghosts over on livejournal - many thanks!**

**Much love and peace to you all, Em x**

Veronica Mars thought she had a bad reputation after her father had been fired as Sheriff, but the experience of being Logan Echolls' girlfriend quickly made her wish for such simple times. The morning after his father threw him a surprise party and they inadvertently announced their relationship to the entire of Neptune high, Veronica found herself loathed not only by the 09ers but by her poorer peers too. Consequently the number of people in school who were actually being civil to her amounted to four: Logan, Meg, Wallace and Mac.

The worrying fact was that for once, she actually gave a damn. She did not care about the way people were reacting to her, with the exception of Duncan and Weevil, but the way Logan was being treated wounded her to the very core of her being. After the first hour of school, Veronica estimated that she was probably the only person who still considered him a friend. As Duncan screamed swear words as he slammed Logan against the lockers and Weevil knocked him out after first period, so the general 09 and outcast student body too considered it acceptable to treat him with contempt. Seeing Logan being ostracised by everyone, including her friends, hurt like a knife to the heart. The guy had just lost his mother for Christ's sake, how much more could he be expected to endure?

"Earth to Veronica," Logan smiled, nudging her gently. "Are you okay?"

She looked up, searching his pale eyes worriedly. "I'm fine," she murmured. "I'm just a little concerned."

"About those dicks?" he said, dramatically gesturing to the 09er crowd seated behind him. "Forget it. Forget them!" He shouted the last two words, which brought a smirk to Veronica's lips. It seemed his devil-may-care attitude had no bounds. He leaped to his feet, jumping onto the bench, flinging his arms outstretched and declaring, "This is Logan Echolls' world and I declare you, Veronica Mars to be my Queen!"

Every pair of eyes in the quad was now on them, but Veronica was so lost in the moment that she forgot to even notice them. "Queen?"

"A bit sexually repressive for you?" He teased, smirking cold-bloodedly.

"Just a smidge," she chuckled. "Rename it Logan-Veronica world and I'm in?"

"You drive a hard bargain, Miss. Mars," he announced, as he jumped down from the bench. Privately, he whispered, "but I'm sure something could be arranged."His words were so quiet and intimate that they reduced their surroundings to nothing, ensuring that the gawking bystanders became invisible and allowing her to revel in being part of this man's unique world. It was remarkable how he could cheer her up in just a few short sentences, a quirk of his eyebrow and cheeky smile.

Bending down, he captured her lips in a searing kiss that had her wanting more within a few seconds. As his warm, tender lips caressed her own, all Veronica wanted was to be lying naked in his arms in his bed. Instinctively she clung to his neck, her hands delving just below the collar of his shirt as she felt his soft hands gently slip under her indie-t-shirt and wrap around her back. He pulled her closer, lifting her from the bench and embracing her so tightly that there was absolutely no space between their bodies. Yet, it still felt like they were not close enough. She wanted, needed more.

"Hello! Everyone – let me introduce you to just what we were missing in the quad – a porn show!" Madison Sinclair declared bitchily, interrupting their heavy make-out session and garnering a round of applause from the student body enlarge.

Veronica's cheeks turned bright red, embarrassment causing her to glance away, mortified by her own abandonment. But Madison's words seemingly had the opposite effect on Logan, who caught hold of her hand protectively. As fury rose within his body, he angrily countered "Jealousy doesn't become you Mad. Just because no guy would ever react so strongly around you, it doesn't mean you should slam on someone whose better looking, smarter and a damn site more sexy than you!"

"Logan..." Veronica murmured warningly. But the 09er cat-fight was boiling so furiously that it was already beyond her heedful words.

Madison threw her hair behind her shoulder in disgust. "Jealous of that whore?" Logan lunged for her, but Veronica pulled him back in the same instant that Dick stepped infront of his girlfriend.

"Please give me an excuse, bro? I'm dying to take you down a peg or two."

"Like you could," Logan replied cockily. The two former friends faced off between the benches that stood between them. Both were furious and eager for a fight, but Veronica was determined that things should not escalate to that extent.

"Logan..." Veronica muttered, pulling his arm. "Leave them to it. C'mon let's go!"

He glanced down at her, his eyes betraying the softer side of him that he did not expose to the others. Nevertheless, his reply was not compliant, "we have as much right to be here as them. I will not back down."

"Why would you, Logan? You're only screwing your best friend's ex, your ex's best friend and the daughter of the man who botched Lilly's murder investigation?" Before Madison Sinclair had even finished her tart response, Veronica had launched herself across the space that divided them. Whether it was the speed that she moved or the fact that Dick and Logan's attention was focused on each other, but by the time any of them had a chance to stop her she was punching the other girl's smug face. It was not some weak girlie hit either, it was a full on nose-breaking punch that caused Madison to let a blood-curdling scream rip.

That was when all hell broke loose. A gaggle of 09ers, mainly girls rushed to Madison's side to check to see if she was okay. Still more people rushed Veronica, attempting to tare a hole in her, yet amongst this insanity one voice was louder and more concerned than any other.

"VERONICA!" Logan screamed, panic evident in his voice as he rushed to her side.

"You bitch!"Dick yelled, pulling her off his girl-friend and roughly shaking her in the moments before Logan pulled her free. Ensuring that she was hid safely behind his back, her boyfriend used his spare hand to land a solid hit on his former friend.

"Don't you fucking dare touch her," he shouted, rage exploding from every muscle in his body. Nobody at the school had ever seen Logan Echolls this angry, but nobody had time to process this, especially Veronica. This was because at the exact second that Logan's fist went to pound Dick's face repeatedly into the concrete, teachers spilled out of school, drawn by the explicit animosity.

Panting heavily, they began pulling the crowd apart. It took three of them to pull Logan and Dick away from one another, and it only really happened then because the gym teacher, Farrington had dragged Veronica away from Logan. "Calm down!" He bellowed, as the teen blindly searched for his girlfriend and evidently would go through any teacher to get to her if he had to.

Logan's eyes blazed, as if he was a caged animal barely in control of his rage. He tried to pull himself free of the man holding him back. "Echolls – cool it! Now!"

"Okay, okay!" He shouted, shrugging off the teacher's arms. "I'm calm damn it!"

"Do not swear at me, Mr. Echolls."

"Does it look like I have much more to lose?" Logan said, indicating the people around him.

Wordless tears streamed down Veronica's face, as she struggled to see a way to take control of the situation. He was bringing more trouble upon himself and she just couldn't see a way of stopping the inevitable from happening. She slunk to the ground, overwhelmed by the fear and sadness flooding her body. The events of the last year and a half suddenly piled on top of her, and for the first time in her life Veronica Mars felt powerless.

"Get up girl," Farrington shouted, attempting to drag her to feet.

Logan swivelled around to face his girlfriend, and upon seeing that she was slumped listless on the ground, he rushed over to her. Pulling her away from the broad gym teacher, he cradled Veronica in his arms. "C'mon baby it's going to be okay," he whispered reassuringly.

As much as she tried, she could not stop the inaudibly sobs that escaped her lips. "Please...stop," she murmured. Only Logan was close enough to hear her words, which was perfectly fine because her words were only meant for his ears.

"Okay Veronica," he said quietly. Hugging her to his chest, he got to his feet and without further drama he left with Farrington, who was trying to herd those responsible into the Principles office. He had always known that Veronica felt the pain of the last few years acutely, but sometimes it was so easy to forget just how vulnerable she was under her tough exterior.

"That was the end of it, okay?" Logan said softly. "No more 09ers, no more Duncan, no more Lilly," he clutched her close to him. "You are all that matters to me now." His reassuring words seemed to calm the demons inside of her, for which Logan was pleased. Gently, he kissed her hair. As Veronica fought for control over her emotions, her smart-ass persona soon came to the fore and Logan couldn't be happier to witness its re-emergence. Her bad-ass attitude may be a protection mechanism, but then so was his so how could he possibly condemn her for preferring to fight the world? He couldn't and wouldn't, instead he would take up arms alongside her.

As they walked swiftly into the wide corridors, it was possible to see the principle stood outside his office door stoically in the distance. Once they drew nearer, Logan was not surprised to see him shudder as the man facing them recognised the two students embracing infront of him. Without giving away any further indications of his feelings, the Principle said sarcastically, "why Logan Echolls and Veronica Mars, how am I not surprised to see the two of you in the midst of fight?"

"C'mon Principle Moorehead, it's not our fault that the rest of the student body don't appreciate our spunky personalities as much as you!" Veronica exclaimed, adorably tilting her head to the side in the way she only did when she was trying to charm her next clueless victim.

Logan laughed at his girlfriend's sharp humour. One thing was sure; being Veronica Mars' boyfriend was going to be anything but dull!

**A/N: Hope you enjoyed it!**


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